My, My, My
by LandminesLandslides
Summary: Sequel to This Ruined Puzzle. It's time to prepare for the big showcase again and Tori wants Jade to enter something. Can she help Jade overcome her stage fright?
1. Chapter 1

My, My, My

By LandminesLandslides

Chapter One

(Jade's POV)

Time to prepare for the big showcase again. Not that I'm entering or anything, but I figured I should help Tori practice. It's coming up in about a week and she has this beautiful song she's going to sing. She didn't write this one, but oh well. It's not like it would be the first time someone played a cover song at the big showcase. No one really cares about how original the material is, it's all about how well you perform it. Besides, knowing Tori, she'll find some way to make the song all hers. Andre is here too, since he can play the piano and neither of us can. She's just finishing up another rehearsal of the full song.

"_Does your wild wild heart, weigh you down sometimes? _Tori sings, _"Well my, my, my, ain't it the cost of living this life?" _She stops and turns to me as Andre cuts the piano.

"It was great," I tell her, "There's not going to be a dry eye in the house at the showcase."

"Thanks," she says, "But I'd better keep practicing. You can never be too prepared for the showcase."

"You sure you won't enter something Jade?" Andre asks me, "You could be great up there."

"Umm…no way," I tell him, shaking my head, "In front of all those people? I think I'd faint." I'd have no trouble preparing a monologue or something in a week. I could do that in my sleep. But performing it in front of the entire school plus all those agents and stuff? Not a chance.

"Don't tell me you get stage fright," Tori says and I nod a little, "But you perform in front of the class all the time."

"But that's just you guys," I tell Tori, "That's a lot different than performing in front of the best talent agents Hollywood has to offer. The thought of doing that terrifies me."

"I see," Tori says, "That's too bad. You would be really awesome in the showcase."

"I guess," I say, "Look can we not talk about it please? It's giving me chills."

"Sure," Tori says with a smile. That's what I like about her. She's always very accommodating to me. I never feel strange or out of place around her.

"Hey I gotta run," Andre says, "My grandma's gotta go grocery shopping later and there's no way she'll leave without me."

"All right," Tori says, "Later Andre. And thanks for helping me rehearse."

"No problem," he says, "Catch you later." As soon as he leaves, Tori turns to me.

"So," she says, "You never told me how things have been going with your sister."

"Oh," I say, realizing she's right, "Pretty good. The last couple of months have been great actually. I think my parents are even starting to notice me a little. My dad actually made eye contact during our last conversation. It was so weird I thought I was dreaming." I laugh at that a little and Tori laughs too.

"I'm glad to hear things are going well," she tells me, "It's weird seeing you happy like this though." She grins a little.

"Well this is what happens when I actually have something to be happy about," I tell her as I return the grin, "Now come on, let's go somewhere. We've been in here rehearsing for hours."

"All right," Tori says, "How about the beach?"

"Ugh, you know I hate the beach," I tell her, wrinkling my nose in disgust.

"Yeah I know," she says laughing, "I'm only kidding. So where do you want to go?

"Well, we've been…you know…together for about two months now and haven't had an actual date," I say, not even believing that I'm about to say this, "So how about we go to lunch?"

"Got a point there," she says, "Where did you have in mind."

"I was thinking about that new Asian place that just opened up," I tell her, "Teriyaki, Sushi, the works and it's all you can eat."

"Four of my favorite words," Tori comments laughing, "All right, it's a date. Let's go." No sooner are those words out of her mouth then the two of us are headed out the door.

(Tori's POV)

Jade with a bad case of stage fright; if you had told me that when I first met her, I would have said that you were crazy. I guess it's amazing what you can learn when you spend enough time with someone. Anyway, we're headed out the door for our first official date. Jade's got her car here, so she's driving. I have a license, but she really wanted to drive. Guess she's still stuck in her mindset of having to pay me back for helping her. She even insisted on paying for the meal.

"Jade that's not necessary," I tell her, "We can split the bill."  
"I want to," she says, "I want to play a role in this relationship too. You've done so much nice stuff for me, so I want to do something nice for you."

"You do something nice for me every time I see you Jade," I tell her, "You're there. That's more than enough."

"No arguments," she says decisively, "This meal is on me." I shrug, deciding not to press the matter.

"All right Jade, you win," I say with a laugh. She gives me a satisfied nod.

"I usually do," she says, laughing. We both climb into her car and pretty soon we're off to eat some Asian food.

**A/N: Sorry, it's a little bit short. I'm tired and it's been a long day.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

(Jade's POV)

"Mmmm, this is delicious," Tori says, polishing off the last of her pork soba, "I could sit here and eat this stuff all day."

"Better not," I joke, "It'll make you fat."

"Shut up," she says, "I happen to have a very high metabolism."

"Whatever you say Tori," I tell her, grinning. One thing I've noticed lately is that I've been getting better at small talk. I guess getting together with Tori has been a good thing for me.

"Hey, are you all right?" she asks me and I suddenly realize that I'm staring down at my empty plate.

"Oh yeah," I tell her, "Sorry."

"What is it Jade?" she asks me, "You never get distracted like that unless you have something on your mind."

"It's nothing," I tell her. That's not entirely true. There is something bugging me, but I don't want to make it her problem.

"Jade, we've been over this," she presses, "When something's bothering you, it's important that you talk about it."

"It's stupid," I tell her, trying to end this conversation.

"Let me be the judge of what's stupid," she tells me, smiling warmly. Is it really that simple? I mean, I know Tori is trying to help, but this is my burden to handle, not hers.

"It wouldn't be fair for me to bother you with this," I tell her out loud.

"It won't be a bother," she insists, "Just tell me." I know she's not going to give up, so I sigh a little and take a deep breath.

"Ever since we got here, I've been thinking about the showcase," I tell her, "I've decided I want to enter something."

"Well that's a good thing isn't it?" she says.

"I guess," I say, "Except the thought of performing still terrifies me. How am I going to enter something if I can't even conquer such a stupid fear?"

"It's not stupid Jade," she tells me, "It's perfectly reasonable for you to be scared of performing in front of those people. That time I filled in for Trina, I was terrified."

"Yeah, but you did it anyway. I don't know if I have that kind of courage," I tell her. That part is true. Under the 'tough girl' act I used to put on, I've always been kind of a coward. This is the first time I've ever really admitted that.

"Of course you do," she says, "You decided to attend Hollywood Arts even though your parents were against it. I'm sure that took a lot of guts."

"I guess that's one way of looking at it," I tell her, "I really wanted to go to school there."

"See?" she says, "All it takes to beat the fear is enough motivation."

"I never really looked at it like that," I answer with a relieved smile, "I think I might be able to do this."

"So what did you want to enter?" she asks me and now I need to seriously think about that.

"Well," I tell her, "I was thinking of doing a monologue at first, but now I think it'd be kind of cool to sing something. I mean, you looked like you had so much fun doing it. I want to have that feeling."

"Well since we only have a week until the showcase, it's best if you pick a song you already know pretty well. That'll cut down on rehearsal time."

"A song I know pretty well huh?" I ask, thinking about it for a moment, "Well, I think I pretty much memorized one of the songs from your Rob Thomas album. I think it was called I Am an Illusion."

"Good choice," Tori says approvingly, "You'll sound awesome singing that."

"Thanks," I tell her, "But you know, I'm still a little scared."

"Don't worry," she says, "I'll help you deal with that. Plus I'm sure Cat and the others will be happy to help too."

"Thanks," I say again, "I really owe you."

"No worries," she says waving her hand dismissively, "Hey, let's grab some Tiramisu for desert. It looks really good." I lick my lips in anticipation and the two of us head back to the desert buffet to load up on Tiramisu.

(Tori's POV)

It's good to see that Jade's decided to enter the showcase. She'll be really great. I thought that she was going to act, but singing will work too. She's a really good singer.

"Wow," she says, "This Tiramisu is to die for." She takes a bite of one of her pieces and momentarily seems to be in a state of bliss.

"I agree," I tell her, "Seriously, I really would. This is that delicious." She laughs lightly.

"Hey," Jade says, "Check that out." She's looking at something across the room. I follow her gaze and nearly choke on my bite, causing Jade to come over and slap me on the back a couple of times.

"Is that Cat and Sinjin?" I manage to say after the coughing stops.

"Definitely," Jade says.

"Weirdest couple ever," I comment, trying to make sense of what I'm seeing in front of me.

"Something smells here," Jade says, "We'd better find out what's going on."

"Looks like Sinjin's headed for the bathroom," I comment, seeing Sinjin get up, "Come on let's go." We both walk over casually to Cat.

"Hey Cat," Jade says, "Fancy meeting you here."

"Oh hey Jade," she says, "What are you guys doing here?"

"We're on a date," I tell her, "Looks like you have one too though."

"We saw you with Sinjin," Jade says, "What happened to you and Beck?"

"It didn't work out," Cat says evasively. Jade's right. Something is definitely wrong here.

"So, how long have you and Sinjin been…together?" Jade asks.

"Just the last month and a half," she says.

"Jade," I say conversationally, "I think I might have an idea what's going on here. Why don't you take a look inside Cat's backpack?"

"No need for that," Cat says, her voice getting high and panicky.

"I think I should," Jade says, reaching for Cat's backpack. Cat tries to stop her, but I take her arm and hold her back. "Well look at this," Jade says, "Explain this, Cat." She's holding something in her hand.

"Well, that's umm…" Cat says.

"It's a SkyStore catalog," I observe, "You were supposed to give up that stuff Cat."

"You're dating Sinjin so you can use his credit card," Jade says, "Right?"

"N…No," Cat says, "That's not true. I really like Sinjin."

"Sure," Jade says rolling her eyes, "You believe that Tori?"

"Nope," I say, shaking my head, "Cat, you seriously have to stop this SkyStore stuff."

"Oh, but there's so much cool stuff to buy," Cat protests.

"This is for your own good," Jade tells her, "Tomorrow you're going to Lane for referral to a professional therapist."

"But…" Cat says.

"No buts," I say, cutting her off, "We're going with you to make sure you don't skip out."

"And break up with Sinjin," Jade says, "You'll embarrass yourself if you keep dating him." Cat's pouting a little now.

"Look, we're trying to help you," I tell her, placing my hand gently on her shoulder, "We're sorry we have to be harsh with you, but this is good for you."

"Now we have to go," Jade says, "Take care Cat." Cat is silent as we walk away and head to the front of the restaurant to pay for our meal.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

(Tori's POV)

It's lunchtime now and Jade and I are just sitting down with the others, minus Cat, who we had to drag kicking and screaming up to Lane's office.

"We actually had to _shove_ her through the door," Jade says, "For such a small girl, she can really put up a fight."

"No kidding," I groan, "I hope Lane's okay in there."

"I'm sure Lane will be fine," Andre comments, "He has Derrick to keep him company after all."

"Hey Robbie, you okay?" Jade asks suddenly. I'm a little surprised to hear that. Robbie's obviously down but it's not like Jade to look out for others. Tori's changed her for the better. It's taking some getting used to.

"The seniors killed my blog," he says, barely touching his food, "They said the low fat thing was dead."

"That's cause it was _boring," _Rex comments, drawing a glare from Robbie.

"I'm sorry that they cut you off," Jade says.

"You're sorry?" Robbie says, "That's not like you."

"She's different now," I tell him, "You'll get used to it."

"I don't know," Andre says, "It's been two months and I'm still not used to it."

"Better get used to it fast," Jade says, "Cause I'm never going back to the way I was before." She sounds serious this time, Tori really must be having quite an effect on her.

"Well I like it," Beck comments, speaking for the first time since we sat down, "Jade West, new and improved."

"Don't you forget it," Jade says with a smile.

"I'll try not to," Beck comments, "Hey Tori, isn't that Trina over there?" I follow his eyes and spot Trina yelling at another student. I groan. What's she going on about this time? I get up from my mostly finished lunch and hurry over to Trina.

"Trina, what are you doing?" I ask her.

"Tori, you wouldn't believe this guy," she said, "He got his nasty creamed corn all over my brand new dress. Now it's ruined."

"Oh relax Trina," I tell her, "I can clean that out, no problem." I drag her away by the hand and take her off somewhere quiet. "Would you please not overreact like that?" I ask her, "You're going to give us a bad name."

"But what about my dress?" she asks me.

"I'll wash it out when I get home," I tell her, "In the meantime, just stay calm okay."

"Oh fine," Trina says, "But you'd better fix this." Sighing, I return to the lunch table.

"What's her problem?" Jade asks.

"Creamed corn crisis," I tell her, "Some days I wish I was an only child." Jade laughs a little and grins at me.

"You shouldn't say stuff like that," Jade says seriously, "Would you really rather live without her?" I know she's thinking about the way things used to be with her sister.

"I guess not," I say laughing, "That would be kind of dull." After I say that, the bell rings, signaling the end of lunch.

"Well, time for Sikowitz's class," Beck comments, "Maybe we should bring helmets." I grin. Sikowitz is back in his "ball throwing" phase again.

"Wonder how Cat's doing," Jade muses.

"She'll be fine," I comment, "Lane's good at what he does. Come on, let's go." We all get up in unison and start to head for Sikowitz's classroom.

(Andre's POV)

I have no idea why Tori asked us to meet her in the auditorium after Sikowitz's class, but here we are. "Come on Tori, what's the deal?" Beck asks, "You haven't even told us what we're doing here."

"You're here to give Jade your opinion on her outfit," Tori says, "She decided to enter the showcase as a singer."

"Oh, well that explains a lot," Beck says, "You think maybe you could have told us this before you had us come here."

"Don't complain Beck," Robbie says, "I'm sure Tori had a good reason."

"I wanted you to be surprised," Tori says, "All right Jade, come on out."

"I'm not sure about this," Jade's voice says from somewhere out of sight.

"Jade, don't make me come drag you out," Tori calls back.

"Fine," Jade says, stepping out from behind one of the auditorium curtains and everybody's mouth drops. Jade is wearing a long, midnight black dress. It's nice, but at the same time kind of edgy. It's different, but at the same time it's a very Jade-like choice. Her shoes are these black high heels that look something I would expect Tori's sister to wear. "Why don't you guys take a picture?" Jade jokes, "It'll last longer."

"Uhh…sorry," Beck says, "It's just….wow."

"You're not having regrets about dumping me are you Beck?" Jade asks playfully.

"Now Jade, don't torture the poor guy," Tori says, grinning.

"Oh, but it's so much fun," Jade answers with a laugh, "So guys, what do you think? Be brutal."

"I love it," Robbie comments, "It's different, but it's really you."

"I was just thinking the same thing," I tell her, "It's awesome Jade."

"You think?" she asks.

"Definitely," I answer, "You're gonna look stunning at the showcase."

"Thanks," she says with a smile, "All right, shows over. I have to go get changed out of this and head home."

"You heard her," Tori says, "Get out of here." Well, no point in arguing with Tori. I grab the apparently catatonic Beck by the arm and drag him out of the auditorium.

**A/N: Sorry, it's a little shorter than the other chapters. **


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

(Cat's POV)

I've been home for a few hours now. I guess my session with Lane went pretty well. He did tell me he wanted to take my credit card and I had to let him. He's officially giving me therapy now, so I figured I should go along with what he asks me to do. I think I'm feeling better. I'm not at all feeling the urge to shop, so I guess whatever he did is starting to work. I have to go to two more sessions, once on Friday and again next Tuesday. I wonder if the others will let me sit with them tomorrow. I hope so. I decided to relax now and watch something on TV, but my mind keeps wandering to Tori and the others. They really were worried about me, weren't they? I suppose I should be grateful for that. I have some pretty awesome friends. I'll have to thank Jade and Tori some time. Maybe I'll buy them both ice cream. Okay, must push the word "buy" out of my head. Don't want to think about…no Cat, don't let your mind wander there. Wow, this is hard. But I don't really want to disappoint Tori or Jade, so I guess I'll just have to endure it.

Infomercial, Infomercial, boring, boring, infomercial. I finally settle on a sitcom. Two and a Half Men huh? I've heard of this show, but never actually watched it. I curl up on the couch and lose myself for a while. This show is actually really funny. Okay, now I'm hungry. I go to the fridge and browse the contents. Oooh yay, my parents have leftover pizza in here. I grab a couple of slices and start them up in the microwave. It's kind of lonely here. I wonder where Mom and Dad are. It's not like them to still be at work at this hour. Maybe they went on a date or something. That would be so cute. They haven't had a real date in two years.

The microwave timer interrupts my train of thought and I go grab the pizza. Mmm, meat lovers. Delicious. I take a rather large bite and lose myself in the taste of pepperoni and sausage. This is seriously bliss. It's better than a double chocolate ice cream from Freezy Queen. I'm so lost in my own little world that I nearly jump out of my skin when the phone rings. I take a deep breath and try to calm myself, before answering the phone.

"H…hello?" I stammer into the phone.

"Hey Cat," the voice on the other end says, causing me to sigh with relief.

"Hey Jade," I answer, "How are you?"

"Fine," she says, "How about you?"

"Umm…pretty good," I say, for once struggling for words, "The…um…the therapy went well. I don't feel like shopping right now."

"Oh," she says, "Well I guess that's a good thing. So, I never got to tell you, but I've decided to enter the showcase this year."

"Really?" I ask her excitedly, "Oh my God, that's going to be so cool. What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to sing, same as Tori," she tells me.

"Yay!" I say, even more excited now, "That's going to be so awesome. Can I hear the song?"

"Well, I'm still learning it, but you'll be able to hear it at the showcase," she tells me, "Guaranteed to rock." She laughs and I do too.

"Did you know Beck's entering too?" I ask her.

"No way," she says, sounding surprised, "Seriously?"

"Yeah, he's singing some Bon Jovi song," I tell her, "I don't really listen to them, so I don't know what it's called." **(A/N: Remember, that's Cat talking, not me. I'm actually a huge Bon Jovi fan.)**

"Bon Jovi?" Jade asks, her voice rising a couple of octaves, "Rock on! They're awesome. Did you know that my first date with Beck was at a Bon Jovi concert?"

"Seriously?" I ask her, "You never told me that."

"It was always something I wanted to keep secret," she says, "I wanted that to be just between me and Beck. Funny how something like that can go from a cherished memory to a topic of conversation."

"Well, who says it can't be both?" I tell her, "Just because you tell other people about something doesn't mean you're not cherishing the memory."

"I guess that's true," she answers, "You know, there's a lot more to you than meets the eye. Under all that hyperactivity, you're actually pretty smart." I start to answer, but then I hear Tori's voice in the background, calling Jade.

"I have to get back to practicing," Jade says, "Talk to you later Cat."

"Take care," I tell her.

"Yeah," she says, "You too." We both hang up at the same time and I smile a little. Jade is one amazing girl.

(Jade's POV)

I'm really glad Cat's doing well. With any luck she'll be fully off that shopping binge of hers in no time. Anyway, I think I'm already getting this song down. Tori's been helping me get the notes right and I think I'm going to be ready in time for the showcase.

"All right, let me hear the first line one more time," Tori tells me.

"All right," I say nervously and then I begin to sing. "Take this confusion running around my head, take back my unkind words, and lay that weight on me instead." I take a deep breath and look at her.

"Perfect," she says, "You're going to rock at the showcase."

"You think?" I ask her.

"Definitely," she responds, "You'll be great. Now let's call it a day."

"Sure," I tell her, "Hey, do you mind driving me home? I don't have my car with me today."

"No problem," she answers, "I'd be happy to." She smiles at me and we both head out to her car and pile in. She puts the key in the lock and drives off in the direction of my house.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

(Tori's POV)

Jade's place is still looking as nice as ever. Thankfully, this time she'll be going in the front door rather than through the window. "Hey, you want to meet my sister?" she asks, "She's been dying to meet you."

"Sure," I answer, "I can't wait to meet her."

"Come on," Jade says, stepping out of the car and coming over to my side. She opens the door and lets me climb out.

"That was surprisingly nice of you," I joke.

"Well, it's your fault I'm being nice," she answers back with a grin, "Better get used to it."

"I already am," I tell her, "So, let's go in shall we?"

"Definitely," she says, leading the way. It's the first time I've ever been in here, but it's nice on the inside too.

"Nice place," I comment, "All this stuff is quality."

"The tabloids pay really well," Jade says, wrinkling her nose, "Don't talk about it too much okay? It's not something I'm really proud of." Right, Jade's mother is a tabloid photographer. Jade hate's that. She wishes that her mother would do something respectable. I don't have time to dwell on that right now though, because a new girl is walking into the room to meet us. She's about Jade's age, but that really seems to be the only thing that's the same. Jade's dressed in all black and wearing boots, while this girl is wearing a bright green T-shirt and sandals. This can only be Jade's sister.

"Hey sis," Jade greets, confirming my theory. The girl smiles at her and the two of them hug.

"Hey," the girl says, looking at me, "You must be Tori. I'm Erin." She holds out her hand. I grasp it firmly in my own and shake her hand.

"Yeah, I'm Tori," I confirm, "It's nice to meet you." I give her a smile and she gives it back. She sure has a bright smile.

"So you're the girl who's got Jade acting all weird," Erin says lightheartedly.

"I do _not _act weird," Jade counters, but she says with a lighter tone than the old Jade would have.

"Well, whatever you call it, it's a good thing," Erin answers, "So thank you Tori." I shake my head.

"No need to thank me," I said, "Jade's made plenty of progress on her own too."

"Yeah, but I couldn't have done it without you," Jade says, "Now onto other things. Do you want to stay a while Tori? I'm sure I have some cheesy comedy movie around here that we can watch."

"We just bought _Get Smart," _Erin says, "That's always good for a cheap laugh."

"Well, as much as I love to watch anything with Steve Carell, I should go," I answer, "I need to rest and you should too Jade. You had a long rehearsal."

"I guess you're right," Jade answers, "In that case, I'll see you tomorrow okay?"

"Yep," I tell her, "See you then." With that, I head out the door and return to my car. Time to go home and take a nap.

(Jade's POV)

The couch is probably the most comfortable place in my house right now. Right after Tori left, Erin and I decided to watch Get Smart. I've never seen this movie before, but it's pretty funny.

"Hey Jade," Erin says suddenly, "Do you mind if I come see you at the showcase?"

"Mind?" I ask laughing, "Why would I mind? I'd be really sad if you didn't come."

"You mean that?" she asks me.

"Of course," I tell her, "You're my sister. I want you to be there."

"Cool," she says, staring into the screen momentarily.

"Why all the concern about whether I wanted you to come or not?" I ask her.

"Well, we haven't always gotten along, so I thought maybe you wouldn't want me there," she says.

"How could you even think that?" I said, "You know I love you, even when we fight."

"Thanks sis," she says with a smile.

"No problem," I tell her, "Come on, let's watch the rest of the movie." We spend the next hour or so laughing at Steve Carell's antics. Tori's right, he's really funny. No wonder she's always going on nonstop about him.

"I had fun tonight," I said, walking over to take the DVD out of the player.

"Yeah," Erin says with a smile, "I did to." She comes a little closer to me and I pull her into a hug. This is kind of nice. I never thought we'd be able to get along like this, although I always wanted to. I let her go and take a deep breath.

"Well," I tell her, "I'm exhausted now, so I'm going to bed. Good night, Erin."

"Night," she says, grinning at me. I walk slowly up the stairs to my room and open my door quietly. My room is still painted black and decorated with posters. I'm starting to think that I need to redecorate. Maybe with a nice forest green or a cream color. The whole dark and creepy look is much more "old Jade" than "new Jade." It looks a little scary, now that I think about it. No wonder Erin never came in here before. I sit on the edge of the bed and peel off my combat boots. Maybe I need to consider some more comfortable shoes too. These things wear on you during the day. Maybe Erin has something I can borrow. We are about the same size, so a lot of her stuff should fit me. I take a deep breath and crawl under the covers without bothering to change into pajamas. I'm too tired right now. I keep breathing slowly and it doesn't take long for me to drift off to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

(Tori's POV)

The day of the showcase is here at last. Jade, Beck, and I are backstage before the show. Beck is about to go on in a couple of minutes.

"Wow, I didn't think that I would actually be nervous," Beck says, "I mean, me, of all people."

"Just relax," Jade tells him, "You're an awesome singer. You're going to be fine."

"You know, I could really get used to the nice Jade," Beck teases her.

"Don't push it," she warns him with a light smile.

"Whatever you say, Jade," he says, "Well I guess I'd better get out there."

"Good luck," she tells him. He grins a little and goes out to pick up the microphone.

"You know, you really are a lot more pleasant to be around now," I tell Jade.

"Yeah, I know," she says, "But I don't really want anyone to think I'm going soft."

"Jade, being nice doesn't mean you're 'going soft'" I tell her with a grin, "No one's going to think that."

"Yeah I guess," she says, "Oh hey, he's starting." She pays rapt attention as Beck starts singing his song. Jade is smiling nostalgically as she listens. I think this song is called "Bed of Roses"

"We danced to this on our first date," Jade says, "I knew he'd pick this song." She stares down at her feet, looking a little said.

"You okay?" I ask her.

"Oh yeah," she says, "Just thinking about the way things used to be. My life used to be so simple."

"Having regrets now?" I ask her. She shakes her head.

"No," she says, "Not at all. I wouldn't change this for the world."

"Neither would I," I tell her, "He's really good."

"Yeah," she says, "Hey Tori?"

"Yeah?" I ask her.

"I know I don't say this a lot, but thanks for always being there," she says.

"No need for thanks," I tell her smiling. We both sit and watch the rest of Beck's performance in silence.

(Beck's POV)

I'm kind of enjoying this standing ovation as I finish off the song. This is bigger than the one Tori and I got for that duet we sang for the school play. I wave to the crowd one last time and go over to where Tori and Jade are standing. "Hey guys," I answer, "How was it?"

"Awesome," Jade says, "Brought back memories."

"Yeah, Jade was getting all emotional," Tori jokes.

"I was not," Jade says, laughing and smacking Tori on the arm, "I was just nostalgic."

"Same thing," Tori cracks.

"It is not," Jade counters.

"Hey, Jade don't you have to go on next?" I ask her.

"Oh yeah, I guess I'd better prepare," she says, "Time for a last minute makeup check."

"Don't worry," Tori says, "You look great."  
"I second that," I tell her, "Just go out there and knock 'em dead."

"Thanks Beck," she says, taking a deep breath.

"Hey," I tell her, "What are friends for?"

"Right," she says with a grin, "Friends."

"Well, you'd better make sure you've got your song down pat," Tori says, "You're on in five minutes." Jade takes another deep breath and starts to head out to the stage.

**A/N: Shorter chapter then before. I wanted to give each performer their own chap and sadly I couldn't think of more to write for this one. Also, sorry for the slow update. I've been coping with a bout of writer's block. **


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

(Jade's POV)

I've just finished up the song. The crowd is cheering as loudly as I've ever heard before. So this is what it feels like. Now I know what Tori felt like during her performance. I take a small bow to the audience, trying for some humility. I keep it brief and then head over to see Tori.

"That was awesome," she says, "You really made that song sound awesome."  
"The song already sounded awesome," I tell her, "I just put my own flair on it, that's all."

"Well, whatever you call it, it rocked," she says, "Congratulations Jade."

"Thanks," I say, hugging her tightly, "And thanks for all of your help."

"No problem," she says, "Okay, so how do I look?"

"Like a million bucks," I tell her.

"You've never seen a million bucks," she jokes, smacking me on the arm.

"You know what I mean," I answer, "You look great." I grin at her.

"Thank you," she says, "I'd better, because I'm next and I'm nervous as heck."

"You're nervous?" I ask her, "But you've done this before."

"Only once before," she says, "I still get the jitters."

"Don't worry," I tell her, "You're going to be awesome."

"Thanks," she says, "All right, I have to go out there next."

"You'll be fine," Beck comments, "Hey, why don't we all go to the beach after this is over? Some guys were saying that they were throwing an after party of some sort there."

"I'm in," Tori says.

"Yeah, me too," I answer, "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Cool," Tori says, "All right guys. I'm on. Wish me luck."  
"Good luck," I tell her.

"Yeah," Beck says, "Now get out there and make 'em cry." Tori laughs and walks out there, taking up the microphone.

(Tori's POV)

I take a deep breath as I prepare to sing. Okay, here goes everything.

"The light from the window is fading, you turn on the night," I sing, "The sound from the avenue's calling you, open your eyes. And when you find, you're spending your time wanting for words, you never speak and tell yourself that the things you need come slow, but inside you just don't know." I'm sure my voice sounds shaky, but the crowd seems to be caught up in it. "My, my, my," I sing, "Let your bright light shine. Let your words live on, far beyond this life." I smile after the first chorus, letting myself get into the song too. I'm able to go through the rest of it with the same smile. Several people in the crowd are in tears, which I hoped was a good sign. I walked over to Jade and Beck with a grin on my face.

"Well, I'd say we hit the trifecta," Beck says, "You were great."

"Yeah," Jade agrees, "Hey come on, let's go. The night is still young and there's a great party waiting for us."

"All right," I tell them, "Let's take my car. It's a lot roomier than that one-seater of yours Jade,"

"My car is _not _a one-seater," Jade answers, rolling her eyes, "But I agree, yours is roomier. Come on, let's go."

"Hey, can I go with you guys?" Cat asks, hurrying over to us, seemingly from out of nowhere.

"Sure, the more the merrier," I tell her.

"Yay!" Cat exclaims, causing Jade to burst out laughing. "Hey, what's so funny?" Cat asks indignantly.

"Nothing, nothing," Jade says, "It would be great if you came along Cat."

"Okay!" Cat says cheerily and Jade smiles.

"Cool," I said, "Well let's get going before they start the party without us." We all head out in the direction of the parking lot, making our way to my car.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

(Jade's POV)

"Come on, tell me why you picked that song," I ask Tori for the fifth time. It's the one thing she's hasn't told me since we started dating.

"Fine," Tori says from the driver's side, "I picked the song because it reminded me of you."

"Me?" I ask her, "That amazing song reminded you of me? No way."

"Yeah," she says, "Ever since the day we met, I always knew there was this light inside you just waiting to be let out."

"You really believed that about me?" I ask her, "But all that time I was being little miss dark and scary. How could you tell?"

"I like to believe in people," she says, "Now come on, no more questions. We're here, see?" I look out my window and realize she's right. We finally made it. The four of us all file out of the car and start heading down to the beach, where apparently a bunch of students have started a bonfire. Following a sudden impulse, I grab Tori's hand in mine and walk closely with her.

"Jade, what are you doing?" she asks me, sounding surprised.

"I don't want to get separated from you," I tell her, "I don't want to lose you."

"Jade we're only going down to the beach," she answers, "You won't lose me." Despite saying that, she doesn't let go, which is nice.

"Awww," Cat gushes, "You too make such a cute couple."

"Cat, are you going to be gushing like that when we get down there?" I ask her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she says loudly, giving me an indignant look.

"Nothing," I say, "I'm just messing with you."

"Oh okay!" she says happily.

"Come on, we'd better get down there before we miss out," Beck says.

"Right on," I say and we all start to run down to the beach area. The bonfire is bright and warm. Tori and I find a couple of empty spaces while Beck goes off to socialize with other people.

"This is nice," Tori says, "These guys really know how to throw a party."

"Yeah," I answer, "Those guys look drunk though." I point at a bunch of guys acting like fools.

"Eh, don't worry about them," Tori answers, "They probably are drunk, but I bet they pass out before they cause any serious trouble."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," I say, "Hey, check it out, it looks like someone's about to start playing music. Let's dance."

"All right, I'm in," Tori answers, "Sounds like a lot of fun."

(Tori's POV)

Jade and I danced the night away together while the fire blazed around us. She's asleep in my lap now. She sure burned off a lot of energy dancing. Guess she hasn't cut loose in a long time. I'm trying to be careful, since I don't want to wake her.

"Don't you too look cozy?" Beck asks as he walks over.

"Shhh," I tell him, placing a finger over my lips, "Let her rest. She really tuckered herself out."

"All right," Beck says, "Where's Cat?"

"Off dancing somewhere," I tell her, "I wasn't really watching her, so I don't know."

"Oh, I see," he says, "Well, you two have fun."

"Will do," I answer him. He walks off and I turn my attention back to Jade, who is still asleep. Her breathing is even and calm. She seems so peaceful now that she's sleeping. Of course, she's been a lot more peaceful lately anyway.

"Sweet dreams Jade," I tell her, lightly taking her hand and caressing it gently. Her eyes don't open, but she does smile a bit. It's late, but I decide I'll stay with her until she wakes up. Wouldn't want her to be uncomfortable, after all. I smile down at her as she sleeps calmly. "Good night Jade," I tell her.

(End of Story)


End file.
